This invention relates to amplitude equalization circuits and more particularly to amplitude equalization circuits which generate a feedback error signal for adjusting the amplitude of one of two input signals, thereby maintaining amplitude equality between the two input signals.
In frequency division multiplexers and communications systems having a plurality of signals or signal components, it is frequency necessary for proper system operation to maintain amplitude equality between the signals or signal components. Because electrical components in such systems drift with time and temperature changes, it is necessary to make adjustments in order to maintain amplitude equality between signals. Although the circuit of the invention is applicable in any environment where amplitude equality between two signals or signal components must be maintained, it is particularly well suited for a LIND (linear amplification using nonlinear devices) amplifier.
In a LIND amplifier, an original bandpass signal to be amplified is separated into two components. These components are separately amplified by nonlinear devices and the amplified resultants recombined to produce a replica of the original bandpass signal. Amplitude equality between the amplified components must be maintained for the LIND amplifier to function properly.
Prior art amlitude equalizing techniques such as those used in voltage regulator circuits equalize two DC voltages. In such circuits the output voltage is made equal to a specified fraction or multiple of a DC reference voltage. Adapting such techniques for equalizing the amplitudes of the two LIND component signals would require additional circuitry such as two separate amplitude detectors to provide inputs for such prior art regulators and either two signal sampling devices or two couplers. This additional circuitry would result in both added cost and incomplete equalization of the desired signal amplitudes since the regulator error signal would be subject to the different time and temperature drifts in the two amplitude detectors.
The present invention eliminates the need for both the two separate signal samplers and the two separate detectors.